Brendan Taman's parents offer advice to Riders' general manager

A green and white flag flies atop the flag pole in the entrance of the complex. It was put there by Don and Pat Taman, the parents of the Roughriders' general manager, Brendan Taman.

"It's going to be here for the two weeks that the Riders are here, and then it will come down. Then it goes back up the day before every Rider game," explained Don Taman at his home in the complex.

"Our residents here are quite happy to see it the Rider flag go up. They remind us if they don't see," joked Don.

Don and Pat are enjoying the recent Riders' tradition of holding training camp in their backyard. They drive to every home game in Regina throughout the season, but training camp allows them to see their son in June.

Pat Taman said she has seen a difference in Brendan's demeanour this year compared to training camp in 2014.

"We've really noticed that he's more relaxed and doesn't seem to be quite so uptight. And you know, coming off the Grey Cup victory is really a tough position to be in."

Fatherly advice on quarterbacks

During the off-season, Brendan Taman made several moves to add depth to the team's roster. One of the biggest was signing veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn to serve as Darian Durant's backup.

Turns out, Don might have had a helping hand in choosing Glenn.

"Brendan has taught me how to text," explained Don Taman. "And I was on him last year to get a hold of Kevin Glenn."

"Finally, Brendan texted me and said 'I got him for you.' So that was good news."

Favourite time of year

The training camp routine of watching the Riders practice is something both Don and Pat look forward to all year.

Not only do they get some quality time with Brendan, but watching the new players and coaches in action gets them prepared for a new season.

"This is our training ground for the upcoming season to get to know who's who and who is doing what. Not living in Regina, we miss all that," said Pat Taman.

Training camp also means optimism is high amongst Rider fans and Pat Taman pulled no punches when predicting how the team would perform this season.

"I have a lot of confidence in the players and coaches' abilities in bringing that cup back to Saskatchewan and getting it out of that Calgary territory."